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Fashion Trends Of The 1960s
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Published: October 13, 2006
The 1960s was perhaps the most fertile period for fashion.
During this time, designers opened up to worldly and ethnic influences, women's skirts got shorter and people began to use fashion to oppose war and materialistic greed. This was an exciting time for designers since it was socially acceptable to embrace different lifestyles, and therefore, different manners of dressing.
The cookie-cutter fashion of the 1940s and 1950s was quickly fading.
Mini What?
There was a time, long ago, when it was absolutely unacceptable for a well-bred woman to leave the house wearing anything above the knee. But women, especially young women, were not content to wear the sensible, respectable clothing their mothers and grandmothers had worn. As fate would have it, Mary Quant, a fashion designer based in London, recognized young women were more than willing to bare their legs.
But Quant did not invent the mini-skirt. She borrowed (and credited) the idea from Andres Courreges’ 1964 designs, although his designs were not as short. The mini-skirt (with a hemline 6 to 7 inches above the knee) became known as the Chelsea look, and while it had simple lines and cuts, it featured many daring fabrics, patterns and colors. Some skirts were made of solid-colored cotton while others were constructed of red or yellow vinyl.
The invention of pantyhose (also known as tights) is partially responsible for the invention of the mini-skirt. Stockings, which often were worn with girdles and garters, were on their way out of 1960s fashion, and since pantyhose offered panty-like coverage and covered the legs, women were free to wear their skirts as short as they wanted. Even in 1960s fashion, it still was unacceptable for a woman – well-bred or not – to go out with bare legs in a mini-skirt.
Exhibition and Experimentation
If nothing else, 1960s fashion became art, and art became fashionable. Designers were enabled, if not encouraged, to push boundaries with their clothing. Anything could serve as design inspiration. The psychedelic effects of hallucinogenic drugs, the Vietnam War, Native Americans, even outer space – no subject was off limits for inspiring 1960s fashion.
One such experimental designer was Andres Courreges. Not only is credited for the initial designs of the mini-skirt, but he was the man who popularized go-go boots and the Moon Girl look. Neil Armstrong may have been the first man on the moon, taking giant leaps for mankind, but Courreges took his own giant leaps when he unveiled the aptly named Moon Girl look at a fashion show in 1964. This look was characterized by white and silver, which would become the season’s colors. It also featured plastic astronaut helmets, silver moon boots and tubular or a-lined jackets. Rayon, nylon and polyester were used to achieve the Moon Girl look.
Aside from outer-space, 1960s fashion designers also were influenced by drugs, or rather, the psychedelic effect of using drugs. This manifested in designs featuring exaggerated patterns and colors
Hippies and Mods
Granted, the hippie and the Mod were from two different worlds. But they present two sides to one fashionable coin. The Mod (short for modern) movement began in late 1950s London and its outfits were cool and constantly changing. Mod men were characterized by their slim-cut Italian suits and Hush Puppies (both usually in black), while women wore a-line shapes in their skirts and dresses. The ladies also wore modern bobs, especially the five-point bob, falsies (eyelashes), heavy black liner and white lipstick. Drainpipe trousers (a.k.a., skinny black pants), turtlenecks and polo shirts also were popular. Interestingly enough, mods had a bit of a rivalry with the rockers – characterized by their leather jackets and jeans. Rockers are another 1960s fashion subculture originating in London.
The hippie movement surfaced in California in 1965 and spread its message of peace and love throughout the United States. Though hippies initially were anti-fashion, their style soon became iconic. In 1960s fashion, many social trends begat fashion trends The hippie aesthetic soon was defined by a number of influences, most notably Native American, military uniforms and other types of ethnic clothing.
Sources:
Fashion in the 1960s. Nostalgia Central.com 13 October 2006. http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/pop/fashion60.htm/
H. Caitlyn. Mohonasen History: The 60s World Around Us W FashionPage. 6 June 2003. Club Generation Y. 13 October 2006. http://www.mohonasen.org/staffdev/mhistory/Summers ell2/mhwor60wfashion.htm
Mod (lifestyle). 11 October 2006. Wikipedia. 13 October 2006. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/mod_(lifestyle)/
Thomas, Pauline Weston. The 60s Mini Skirt-19602 Fashion History. Fashion-Era.com. 13 October 2006. http://www.fashion-era.com/the_1960s_mini/htm/
During this time, designers opened up to worldly and ethnic influences, women's skirts got shorter and people began to use fashion to oppose war and materialistic greed. This was an exciting time for designers since it was socially acceptable to embrace different lifestyles, and therefore, different manners of dressing.
Related Articles
Mini What?
There was a time, long ago, when it was absolutely unacceptable for a well-bred woman to leave the house wearing anything above the knee. But women, especially young women, were not content to wear the sensible, respectable clothing their mothers and grandmothers had worn. As fate would have it, Mary Quant, a fashion designer based in London, recognized young women were more than willing to bare their legs.
But Quant did not invent the mini-skirt. She borrowed (and credited) the idea from Andres Courreges’ 1964 designs, although his designs were not as short. The mini-skirt (with a hemline 6 to 7 inches above the knee) became known as the Chelsea look, and while it had simple lines and cuts, it featured many daring fabrics, patterns and colors. Some skirts were made of solid-colored cotton while others were constructed of red or yellow vinyl.
The invention of pantyhose (also known as tights) is partially responsible for the invention of the mini-skirt. Stockings, which often were worn with girdles and garters, were on their way out of 1960s fashion, and since pantyhose offered panty-like coverage and covered the legs, women were free to wear their skirts as short as they wanted. Even in 1960s fashion, it still was unacceptable for a woman – well-bred or not – to go out with bare legs in a mini-skirt.
Exhibition and Experimentation
If nothing else, 1960s fashion became art, and art became fashionable. Designers were enabled, if not encouraged, to push boundaries with their clothing. Anything could serve as design inspiration. The psychedelic effects of hallucinogenic drugs, the Vietnam War, Native Americans, even outer space – no subject was off limits for inspiring 1960s fashion.
One such experimental designer was Andres Courreges. Not only is credited for the initial designs of the mini-skirt, but he was the man who popularized go-go boots and the Moon Girl look. Neil Armstrong may have been the first man on the moon, taking giant leaps for mankind, but Courreges took his own giant leaps when he unveiled the aptly named Moon Girl look at a fashion show in 1964. This look was characterized by white and silver, which would become the season’s colors. It also featured plastic astronaut helmets, silver moon boots and tubular or a-lined jackets. Rayon, nylon and polyester were used to achieve the Moon Girl look.
Aside from outer-space, 1960s fashion designers also were influenced by drugs, or rather, the psychedelic effect of using drugs. This manifested in designs featuring exaggerated patterns and colors
Hippies and Mods
Granted, the hippie and the Mod were from two different worlds. But they present two sides to one fashionable coin. The Mod (short for modern) movement began in late 1950s London and its outfits were cool and constantly changing. Mod men were characterized by their slim-cut Italian suits and Hush Puppies (both usually in black), while women wore a-line shapes in their skirts and dresses. The ladies also wore modern bobs, especially the five-point bob, falsies (eyelashes), heavy black liner and white lipstick. Drainpipe trousers (a.k.a., skinny black pants), turtlenecks and polo shirts also were popular. Interestingly enough, mods had a bit of a rivalry with the rockers – characterized by their leather jackets and jeans. Rockers are another 1960s fashion subculture originating in London.
The hippie movement surfaced in California in 1965 and spread its message of peace and love throughout the United States. Though hippies initially were anti-fashion, their style soon became iconic. In 1960s fashion, many social trends begat fashion trends The hippie aesthetic soon was defined by a number of influences, most notably Native American, military uniforms and other types of ethnic clothing.
Sources:
Fashion in the 1960s. Nostalgia Central.com 13 October 2006. http://www.nostalgiacentral.com/pop/fashion60.htm/
H. Caitlyn. Mohonasen History: The 60s World Around Us W FashionPage. 6 June 2003. Club Generation Y. 13 October 2006. http://www.mohonasen.org/staffdev/mhistory/Summers ell2/mhwor60wfashion.htm
Mod (lifestyle). 11 October 2006. Wikipedia. 13 October 2006. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/mod_(lifestyle)/
Thomas, Pauline Weston. The 60s Mini Skirt-19602 Fashion History. Fashion-Era.com. 13 October 2006. http://www.fashion-era.com/the_1960s_mini/htm/
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